Syracuse, N.Y. - It had become a running joke among his Syracuse basketball teammates.
Since Howard Washington went down with a season-ending injury before the Orange's game at Georgia Tech, Braedon Bayer has heard the phrase "stay ready" from his teammates more times than he can count.
"The phrase of the month," Bayer said Sunday afternoon, after the Orange had outlasted Wake Forest 78-70 in the Carrier Dome. "Everyone makes jokes about it - 'Stay ready, Bro.' Even when we don't have a game, they're like 'Stay ready.' That's literally what all the coaches have been telling me from when Howard got injured.